Quick Program Facts
Programs Offered: PhD
Application Deadline: January 31
Total Graduate School Enrollment: 72
The Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport (LSUHSC-S) recruits highly motivated individuals from biomedical undergraduate backgrounds who wish to pursue a rewarding career in biomedical research. Our PhD program provides individualized training for each student to successfully fulfill the requirements leading to the attainment of a PhD degree. This will provide highly skilled graduates with the investigative tools necessary for an intellectually challenging and rewarding career in an ever-evolving field at academic, industrial or government institutes. Our program emphasizes the need for a strong, knowledgeable background of reviewed literature, a well-planned experimental approach to problem-solving and skilled interpretation of results.
Students are required to complete a course series that provides a broad perspective in the field of biomedical sciences and physiology. For a complete listing of courses, please visit the departmental website.
Each student must pass the qualifying examination, a written exam followed by a faculty administered oral exam. Students rotate through four research labs, to become familiar with faculty interests, which facilitates the selection of their research mentor. Students progress to a program of original and independent research under their mentor’s guidance, write a grant proposal and defend their research progress to their advisory committees. To complete the program, students must publish at least two peer-reviewed papers from their work, including a first author manuscript.
The Research Core Facility at LSUHSC-S provides students with access to research services, educational/training opportunities, and instrumentation, including:
- microscopy,
- flow cytometry,
- genomics, and
- mass spectrometry.
Research areas of interest include:
- cardiovascular disease and the microvasculature;
- ischemia-induced angiogenesis and arteriogenesis;
- transcriptional regulation of vascular development and regeneration;
- thrombosis, neutrophils and sickle cell disease;
- 3D tissue engineering;
- gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology;
- cerebrovascular injury and inflammation in stroke and Alzheimer's disease;
- microvascular pathology in the diabetic or hypertensive retina;
- oxidative DNA damage and repair;
- microgravity’s effects on cells; and
- association between sex and stress hormones and heart disease
Full-time physiology graduate program students are eligible for an annual stipend of $28,000 USD and tuition waivers.
Student fees are determined each year by a vote of the LSU Board of Supervisors and consist of student union, health, yearbook, activity and operational fees. These fees must be paid by each student, including those who have tuition waivers. Fee amounts are based on the number of credit hours.
Students who have passed their qualifying examinations are encouraged to apply for predoctoral fellowship awards through granting agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. Competitive predoctoral fellowships are offered through the LSUHSC-S intramural grants program. Fellowship recipients may also be eligible for stipend increases depending on the granting agency.
Contact Information:
Chris Pattillo, PhD
Associate Professor
Graduate Co-Director (Administrative)
Phone: 318.675.6974
E-mail: Christopher.pattillo@lsuhs.edu
Diana Cruz-Topete, PhD
Assistant Professor
Graduate Co-Director (Recruitment)
Phone: 318.675.5128
E-mail: diana.cruz@lsuhs.edu